Traditional narratives (e.g., books, motion pictures, television broadcasts, radio broadcasts), offer a diverse content of ideas, expressions, and communications. Despite this diversity, traditional narratives adhere to a linear format. In such a format, the narrative progresses from a starting point to an ending point, along a linear path. For example, a movie is presented to a user in a linear fashion: the user starts watching the movie, and the material is presented to the user in a predetermined manner that progresses from scene to scene in a linear fashion. Thus, linear narratives are stories or movies having one beginning that necessarily progress to one end.
More recently, with the advent and increasing popularity of computer systems to enhance the narrative process, the traditional linear narrative has been modified to accommodate branches to the storyline. Thus, for example, interactive movies are present in the prior art that allow a user to display a desired story line by selecting from among various story line options upon reaching decision points within the movie narrative. These interactive stories are branched narratives which progress from one beginning to any one of a plurality of endings depending on the story line selected. As a simple example, narrative videos exist which allow a user, at certain decision points, to choose among several options for how the narrative will progress. Once a user selects an option the narrative continues along the path determined by that decision “branch.”
In addition, in prior art narratives, the story line might invoke a “loop” that enables the user to repeat or go back to a previously occurring scene. Despite this option, however, a narrative with a “loop” continues in a linear manner according to a predetermined manner following the return to the loop point.
In addition, the advent of computers has allowed a viewer to modify, in an interactive manner, certain characters or other items within the narrative. For example, in a video game, a user may dictate that a character take a certain action, such as fight another character. That action—that manipulation of the character—acts as decision points for the narrative which allow different narrative branches; thus, if the character defeats another character, one narrative path exists for the victorious character, while a defeat creates a different narrative path (usually the end of the game).
Despite these modifications, these narratives remain linear—the branches, loops, or options which occur due to story modification or character manipulation all continue the story in a linear manner, progressing from a beginning to an end (or to a plurality of endings). Thus, in the prior art, movies and games follow a traditional format in which a narrative progresses from a logical beginning to one or more logical endings and thus fail to take advantage of the full capabilities and power of computers and digital media devices. For example, known technologies do not easily permit a user to browse a video narrative and to explore particular areas or aspects of the narrative in more depth or less depth. The present invention, unlike the prior art, permits users to move from any point to any point within the narrative, unencumbered by defined beginnings and endings. In the prior art, user or viewer progresses inexorably from a beginning to an ending, or, in some instances, a different number of predefined endings. As a result, in the prior art the entertainment, advertising, educational, or other experience for a user viewing available movies on a personal computer is substantially similar to the viewing experience on a television or in a cinema.
The existing linear narrative structures, with their branching and looping structures, are shown in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,356 to Schwartz describes an interactive game film intended to provide a realistic rendering of scenery and objects in a video game. The film is made up of data arranged in blocks or clips representing video film segments. Each block has a lead-in segment, a body segment, a loop segment, and a lead out segment. As the game is played the clips are seamlessly spliced together. The lead in and lead out segments can be used multiple times, with different body segments or loop segments each time to create multiple linear-time sequences in a mix and match process, on the fly, during playback. However, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the Schwartz patent, the film has a branched architecture and progresses from a logical beginning to at least one of several logical ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,354 to Davenport et al. describes a video editing and viewing facility and method that allows representation and arbitrary association of discrete image segments, for both creating final compositions and to permit selective viewing of related image segments. Editing and viewing of compositions can be achieved on a computer device. Information regarding each image segment is retained in a relational database so that each image segment can be identified and relationships established between segments in the database. Each segment, which acts as a narrative, is represented by icons. A user can elect to interrupt viewing of a particular segment and view a new image segment by selecting an icon that represents the new image segment. Viewing of the original image segment continues once display of the new image segment is completed. Importantly, the invention in Davenport relates to a narrative with a fixed beginning and a fixed ending. Although the author permits users to edit or otherwise modify a selected scene and interface that scene into the narrative, this editing process does not change the linear and non-browseable nature of the narrative. Relationships between segments, and thus the order in which segments are viewed, can be established by user selections, or by inferences based on user behavior, but the segments themselves have a logical linear relationship, with recognizable beginning and end points.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,248 to Freeman discloses a video system that makes use of a decision tree branching scheme. The video system displays a movie to an audience. The movie has multiple selectable scenes and the system includes a device for detecting and sampling audience responses concerning the selection of possible scenes and movie outcomes. Upon reaching a branching point in the movie, the system detects the prevalent audience selection and displays appropriate scenes. Scene selection is achieved by using dual movie projectors to present the movie. Different video tracks are turned on via a “changeover” signal which activates the appropriate projector.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,006 to Hirayama et al. relates to a multi-scene recording disk and a data reproducing apparatus which enables a user to view one of several simultaneously proceeding scenes. For example, the apparatus allows a viewer watching an opera to elect to watch the performer on stage or the orchestra that accompanies the performer. This involves the display a selection of multiple linear narratives rather than branched or looped narratives.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,715 to Palmer discloses an interactive video system in which a user can select an object displayed in the video and thereby initiate an interactive video operation, such as jumping to a new video sequence, altering the flow of the interactive video program, or creating a computer generated sequence.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,131 to Best describes a video amusement system embodied to run on a videodisc system. The system uses a simple branching technique which presents choices to a user to select video sequences for viewing. The system also permits users to carry on simulated conversations with the screen actors and to choose the direction that the conversation takes. The invention is also designed to avoid the ritualistic cycles which characterized earlier video games by using different audio each time video frames are repeated, by obscuring any unavoidable repetition by complex structures of alternative story lines, and by using digitally generated animation.